WASHINGTON — In the fifth inning of Monday’s game versus the Nationals, Ozzie Albies immediately crumpled to the ground after an awkward swing that resulted in a groundout to the shortstop.
The club soon received bad news: Albies, the talented second baseman, fractured his left foot. Braves manager Brian Snitker said he didn’t know how long Albies would be out.
“I feel like the whole dugout kind of shut down because you saw it right off the bat when he fell,” Michael Harris said. “You knew something was wrong, (with him) limping back.”
The Braves on Tuesday put veteran infielder Phil Gosselin on their big-league roster. They placed Albies on the 60-day injured list, which cleared a spot on the 40-man roster for Gooselin.
Albies, who was 0-for-2 with a walk and a run scored before leaving Monday’s game, is batting .244 with a .694 OPS this season. But just like most of his teammates, he had heated up, putting together a recent seven-game hitting streak that included two home runs.
Though he hasn’t yet played up to his potential for most of this season, Albies is a crucial part of the lineup. He has won two Silver Slugger Awards and has twice been an All-Star.
“I hate it for Ozzie, hate it for us,” Snitker said. “It’s unfortunate. But it’s one of those things. He’ll be fine. He’s young, he’ll heal quick. Like I said, I just hate it for the kid, because he loves to play baseball. He’s such a big part of our club here. It’s just a chance for somebody else to do something good.”
In the bottom of the fifth inning, Orlando Arcia replaced Albies at second base. Arcia is the only backup infielder on the Braves’ 26-man roster. The Braves probably need to add another infielder to cover themselves.
Kramer Robertson, whom the Braves recently claimed off waivers, is on the 40-man roster and can play second base.
The Braves have a few options in Triple-A. None are on the 40-man roster.
Shortstop Braden Shewmake is the club’s No. 5 prospect on MLB Pipeline. Phil Gosselin, Pat Valaika and Ryan Goins are all veterans who could fill in for the time being. Joe Dunand is another name to watch.
Of course, president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos could go outside the organization. Last season, he did that to help boost the team’s outfield.
“I feel like the whole dugout kind of shut down because you saw it right off the bat when he fell. You knew something was wrong, (with him) limping back."
The Braves have won 12 in a row. They intend to continue rolling along, even if it stings to lose Albies.
“That definitely hurts, but we have to go out there and continue doing what we do, go out there and win for him and for ourselves,” Harris said.
Albies displayed his power early on this season as he hit five home runs in a week in April. He homered in three straight games in that stretch.
However, he posted a .583 OPS from April 27 through the end of May. This season, he has experienced a 40-game homerless streak, which marked the lengthiest such run of his career.
Still, the Braves need him. He’s a stud on both sides of the chalk.
They’ll simply hope he gets healthy and returns as soon as possible.
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